A MotherDaughter Moment
by Kristen3
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Rose Cronin thinks her mother has no idea what it's like to have a father who leaves, until she learns a bit about her mother's past. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **Thanks to Leigh Ann (**leighann415**) for inadvertently planting the seed for this!

Mary looked at her husband. She knew that being married to a politician meant sacrifices. It wasn't like this was the first time he'd left. This was his third campaign, so this really shouldn't be a big deal. But she still hated it.

"I hate leaving you," Steven said. "But if I want to win this election…."

"I know, you have to go out and meet the voters. We've been through this."

"Come on, don't be so sad. It's not like you'll be left here with nothing to do. You're the producer of the highest-rated news show in town! Plus you won't be alone. You'll have Rose." He nodded toward their thirteen-year-old daughter.

Mary looked at Rose, seeing she was just as unhappy as Mary herself. Rose was going through a "phase," or so Mary's coworkers told her. For the last several months, Rose would barely speak to her mother. There was a lot of slamming of doors and "Just leave me alone!" It was all very normal behavior in a teenager, even to be expected. But that didn't make this any easier. _It's going to be a long few weeks_, Mary thought. Missing her husband was one thing, but it was even worse to miss someone who was in the very next room.

"You two know you're the most important people in my life, right?" Steven asked, seeing the looks on their faces.

"Then why do you have to go?" Rose suddenly asked. Somehow, though she did her best to push Mary away, Rose still adored her father.

"Because," Steven said. "You're going to college someday, and I'd like to be able to afford it. And because this is part of my job. A job I love. The same way your mom loves being in the newsroom. You'll understand one day, I promise."

Rose looked at her father skeptically. But she hugged him tightly. Her dad was always leaving, and every time, she tried to act like it was no big deal. But it was.

Steven gently pulled her off him. "I love you," he said, kissing her cheek.

Then he turned to Mary. "And I love _you_, too." He smiled, then kissed her in a very different way.

He gave them both one more smile and walked out the door. He really had to get going, and he knew if he'd stayed one more minute, he would never be able to leave.

As she heard her husband's car pull away, Mary turned to Rose. "Well, I guess it's just you and me now. But we can still have fun, right? Want to watch a movie?"

Rose looked at her mother as if she'd gone crazy. "I've got homework." She started off toward her room.

Mary sighed deeply. Why did this have to be so hard? She watched as Rose went into her room and closed the door. It was a familiar sight, but still a painful one. But Mary refused to dwell on that. She sat down in her makeshift office and got to work on one of the news stories she needed to get ready for the broadcast. Work had always been such a blessing in her life, and not just for the financial rewards. It gave her life purpose. Once, it had even given her friendship.

Mary looked again at the hallway which led to her daughter's room. Suddenly, a bit of mother's intuition kicked in. Before she was even aware of what she was doing, Mary found herself walking down the hall.

When she reached Rose's door, she ignored the "Keep Out" sign and knocked anyway. She could hear faint sounds of music. "Honey, can we talk?" Mary tried to make herself heard over the noise.

"Not now. I'm busy!" Rose answered, not bothering to turn the stereo down.

"I really think we should talk." Mary wasn't backing down this time.

"_Fine!_" Rose said, with a loud, dramatic sigh. Now she turned her music off and opened the door. "What?"

Ignoring Rose's tone, Mary smiled. "Can I come in?"

Reluctantly, Rose stepped back to let her mother in. She really had been doing homework….sort of. Her textbook was open, at least.

Mary noticed the mess, but chose not to mention it. "I know you hate it when your father leaves."

"Well, duh," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"I just want you to know I understand. I went through the same thing when I was young."

"Oh, was your dad running for office, too?" Rose asked sarcastically.

"No. Do you remember your grandfather?"

Rose shrugged. He'd died when she was only 4 or 5. What memories she did have were vague at best.

"Well, he was a doctor. Actually, a surgeon. He wasn't always at home either."

"Yeah, but I bet he wasn't gone for weeks at a time."

"No," Mary admitted. "But at least your father says goodbye before he leaves. My dad never had time for that. Emergency surgeries can't wait." She laughed softly.

"Oh," Rose said. She sensed her mom thought this was a great revelation, but it didn't really change anything. What was the point?

"Come here." Mary patted the place beside where she sat on Rose's bed. Rose reluctantly sat. "I never knew when my father was going to leave. Sometimes it was right in the middle of dinner, or a bedtime story. I hated it."

"Oh. So….what'd you do?"

"Well, I couldn't really do anything. It's not like I could tell him _not_ to go save someone's life. But, eventually, I realized I could survive. Yes, it was a pain, but it didn't kill me."

"It still sucks, though," Rose admitted.

"I know," Mary said, taking Rose's chin in her hand. "But, now, I think it might've actually been a good thing. Because it showed me that I didn't really need him. I could be OK on my own, you know?"

"Really?" Rose asked. She was listening now, to her own surprise.

"Yes. When I got older, I realized I wanted to leave the town I grew up in. I wound up moving to Minneapolis, and I started a new life, all on my own." Mary smiled, recalling the events. That move ended up being the best thing that ever happened to her.

"Weren't you scared, though?" Rose asked. This entire story was new to her. Her mom rarely talked about her past.

"A little. But I met a few friends. And I wound up getting a job at a local TV station. I found that I really liked working in a newsroom. If hadn't done that, I probably wouldn't have met your father."

"So you're saying that being left alone when you were a kid was a _good_ thing?" Rose asked. It was a little hard to imagine.

"I didn't see it at the time, but yes. My life has turned out better than I could've dreamed. I married the love of my life, your father, and I had you. I'm very lucky."

Rose sat a bit straighter, realizing what her mother was saying. Somehow, she found herself hugging her mom.

Mary held her daughter close. Moments like these were rare, she knew, especially as Rose grew up. She slowly pulled out of the embrace. "I know you think I'm a pain, and you'd like me to get out of your life, but, believe it or not, I do love you."

Rose shrugged. "I guess."

Mary gave her daughter a mock glare. She knew it was too much to hope for an "I love you" back. Rose would never admit such a thing out loud. "Well, anyway, I just wanted you to know that." She got up, knowing the mother-daughter spell was broken.

"Thanks," Rose said, staring at the floor to avoid eye contact. "It was cool, hearing that story and all."

It was obvious this was the closest thing she would get to an acknowledgment. As Mary finally turned to close the door to her daughter's room, she silently prayed that Rose's life would end up as happy as her own had. What more could a mother hope for?

**The End**


End file.
